A Texas police officer who shot and wounded a teenager who had been sitting in his car eating a hamburger has been fired, police said.
San Antonio Officer James Brennand was fired after shooting Erik Cantu, 17, on Oct. 2 in a fast food restaurant parking lot, police training commander Alyssa Campos said in a video statement released Wednesday.
Brennand had responded to an unrelated disturbance at the fast-food restaurant when he saw the Cantu inside the car, which had evaded him a day earlier, Campos said.
A Texas prosecutor said in a statement Friday that he has not seen enough evidence to file charges against the teenager.
“While Sunday’s shooting of an unarmed teenager by a then-San Antonio Police officer remains under investigation, the facts and evidence we have received so far led us to reject the charges against Erik Cantu for further investigation,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said.
Brennand, who had been on the force for less than one year, violated his training and police procedures after approaching the car, Campos said.
“The officer abruptly opened the driver’s door and ordered the driver out of the car” before the arrival of backup officers that Brennand had requested, Campos said.
Cantu, in the officer’s body camera video, looks toward Brennand while holding a hamburger, then backs the car away, striking the officer with the open door.
Brennand then opened fire several times as the door closed and Cantu drove away.
WARNING: Video may be disturbing to some viewers
Cantu, who was struck by gunfire, stopped nearby where he and a passenger, who was not injured, were found by police.
“There is nothing I can say in defense of that officer’s actions that night,” Police Chief William McManus told WOAI-TV. “I think what happened, initially, there was some contact made, but that did not justify the shooting.”
Cantu was hospitalized in stable condition and initially charged with evading police and aggravated assault.
Gonzales, the district attorney, said no decision had been made on whether to pursue charges against Brennand, pending the outcome of a police investigation into the shooting.
“As we do with all officer-involved shootings that result in death or serious injury, we will submit the case to a Grand Jury for their consideration. Until that happens, we can make no further comment on this matter,” Gonzales said.
Police and an attorney for Cantu did not immediately return phone calls for comment on Friday.
(AP)
6 Responses
The kid isn’t black so it isn’t so bad to make front page news.
Police just love shooting & hurting innocent people.
I sincerely hope that this savage fired officer goes to prison for life without parole, or even better still has to be shot by a gun which would be real true justice.
The police are not our friends. They are a bunch of coward bully’s with a low self-esteem. They don’t earn our respect. Stop honoring them. They are PAID City employees who are out to raise revenue for the City coffers thru parking tickets and moving violations. To them, some scrawny WHITE teenager eating a hamburger in his car is the crime of the century. There are hundreds of these types of incidents of police brutality happening every day in this country, only that they are not caught on video, or they are censored on YouTube by big government.
Just comply with police and none of this would happen
Also, i thought police only target black men?
He evaded police the day before. Then backed put when told to get put of car. Not sure why pfficer fired. Kid needs a good spanking.
Ikar chasar min hasefer! Why does this story not even mention why the officer had been pursuing this suspect the day before? What offense was he trying to arrest him for?